Alexandra Ripley Message Board

posts on 8/16/2006 4:43:05 PMAfter re-discovering my childhood obsession for "Gone with the wind" I tore through Margaret Mitchell's novel, and am currently finding similar enjoyment in reading it's sequel. Although I must agree that Mitchell's style of writing has proved the superior thus far, I am both respectful of Ripley for allowing us to watch Scarlett grow whilst maintaining the essence of her character, and grateful that she has sucessfully continued such a phenomenal story. By allowing her to develop a more vunerable side which is ulimately shown in her overwhelming love for Rhett and later for her daughter Cat, Scarlett's character is further strengthened as she struggles against, and overcomes hardships beyond those of war and famine. posts on 7/2/2006 12:18:12 AMHello
I loved GWTW and now I'm trying to find Scarlett. Does anyone know where I can find an online version of the book? I would really appreciate it since I can't find on regular bookstores. Thanks in advance posts on 6/8/2006 1:47:49 PMThis was an amazing book. Alexandra Ripley obviously did a huge amount of research to prepare for writing this novel. Every location that I have researched that was stated in the book was correct and in its correct location in Ireland. Ripley took Scarlett from being a hard headed, hard hearted mother and person in the beginning, to being a soft hearted and amazingly good mother in the end. How anyone could say this is a boring or terrible book I have no idea. It is a sequel that lives up to the legacy of "Gone With The Wind," and its actually easier to understand and read. Some say sequels are never all that great, but this one is. (and by the way to whoever had a post about Scarlett's daughter: her name was Katie Colum O'Hara, she was named after Scarlett and Scarlett's cousin Colum. Scarlett called her Cat and it didn't mean anything in any language, though the Irish thought that she was a changeling because she was born on Halloween and because of how fearless she was.)

Pat posts on 1/20/2006 9:39:31 PMI believe the sequel is no more than a cheap scuzzy potboiler. No wonder it's never made it to big time. In my local library, nobody even knew what it was when I came to check it out. The story line is artificial,schmaltzy and shot with sex scenes (probably to grab attention since nothing else does), and the heroine is totally out of character. Rhett has lost a great deal of his wit, too, poor lad. The dialogues are weak and colorless, the descriptions lack vividness, the inner monologues are shallow and repetitive, and overall, the prose style feels like that of a first grader, especially when compared to the original work. I am still not done with the book and it doesn't look like I will be: it has no appeal at all. All in all, I think the sequel is an insult to the memory of great Margaret Mitchell and should have never been written. The ending of "Gone with the Wind", much however disliked by some readers, actually appears realistic and logical, if we closely follow the chain of events and the characters' personalities. Moreover,it's open to fantasy and imagination, and there was absolutely no need for this inapt completion.dana posts on 6/1/2005 2:42:40 AMi think that this book is great.i didn't like the ending of "gone with the wind".alexandra ripley transformed scarlett in a sensitive woman!i think she's the best!Allison Davis posts on 3/22/2005 6:25:30 AMWhat was her daughter's name. The one born in Ireland. What did her name mean and what language was it in?